Prime Minister David Cameron and French president Nicolas Sarkozy want to put in place the rapidly deployable headquarters following joint working in Libya.

At a UK-France summit in Paris today, the two leaders also agreed to push ahead with the next phase of plans to build a new generation of pilotless "fighter drone" aircraft.

The British Prime Minister is meeting his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris at a joint summit for the first time since their bitter clashes over Europe.

The two men are expected to seek to draw a line under the tense relations of recent months by unveiling new deals between British and French companies to build aircraft and nuclear power stations.

However, their personal interactions will be under scrutiny, as Mr Sarkozy recently expressed frustration with Mr Cameron for interfering in Europe’s attempts to save its struggling single currency. He reportedly called his counterpart an "obstinate kid", while Mr Cameron attacked France's "crazy" plans for a financial transaction tax.

There has also been tension since India chose France's Rafale fighter jet over Britain's Eurofighter.

But for Mr Sarkozy, who is starting a campaign to get re-elected, the summit will be an opportunity to highlight successful co-operation between Britain and France over foreign policy in Libya and shared military aircraft carriers.

To cement their shared national business interests, the two leaders are expected to agree joint deals worth £500 million between British companies and French state-owned nuclear giants EDF and Areva.

EDF is building a new generation of nuclear power plants in Britain and Mr Cameron is anxious that the French companies uses British contractors like Rolls Royce, Keir and BAM Nuttall.

They are also likely to agree to work together further on “cutting edge military technology”, building on a previous agreement to develop unmanned aircraft known as drones.

London and Paris agreed in 2010 to work together on creating the remotely-controlled drone aircraft, known as Males (medium altitude long endurance), which will allow targeted strikes while minimising the risk to allied personnel. Today's agreement means the project can move on to the procurement stage.

The bilateral programme will be worked on by Britain's BAE and France's Dassault - former rivals on the Typhoon project.

However, the Prime Minister's enthusiasm for an Anglo-French drone has worried some British defence chiefs, who would prefer British resources to be focussed on American UAVs, which they regard as superior.

“Doing anything with the French will only cost twice as much and end up doing less," said a British defence source, describing the Anglo-French project as "about diplomacy not defence.”

Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy are also planning to talk about the problem of Syria, which has been intensifying attacks on rebels against its repressive ruler.

Ahead of the summit, Mr Cameron will say: “One year on from the Libya uprising, we are working together to stand up to the murderous Syrian regime and to stop a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran.

“At the United Nations, we co-sponsor more than three quarters of Security Council resolutions. Our commercial relationship is deep and growing with exports increasing and French investment sustaining almost 10,000 jobs in the UK. Our militaries are working together on cutting edge military technology. This relationship is vital for the national security and the prosperity of both Britain and France”